Gilbert Ward

By the Midland Daily News

Published 5:30 am, Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Gilbert Ward died at the MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland on Sunday morning, June 27, 2010. He was 97 years old.

Gilbert was born in Rumford, Maine on Aug. 21, 1912. His parents were Louis E. Ward and Margaret C. Hair. His father, an electrochemist working for the Rumford Paper Co., had previously been employed by The Dow Chemical Co., but was forced to leave when the company fell upon hard times, only to return with family in 1917.

Gilbert grew up in Midland, but spent his youthful summers on his paternal grandfather's farm near Fort Atkinson, Wisc. He graduated from Midland High School in 1929 and spent a year working for Dow before attending the University of Michigan. While studying chemical engineering, he also participated in the R.O.T.C. program. Upon graduation in 1934, he received his bachelor's degree and a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. He returned to Midland and was re-employed by Dow in the Physics Lab for a short time. Shortly thereafter, Herbert Dow requested that he move to Marquette, to join the staff of the Cliffs Dow Chemical Co., a new joint venture with the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co., which manufactured activated carbon necessary for the war effort. At the end of the war, he was transferred back to Midland and became part of the management of the Dow Polystyrene Department (433 Building). He retired in 1976, and he and his wife traveled extensively.

Gilbert married Alice T. Peterson in 1937, and they had three children, James, Joe (Kathleen), and Karen (Karl) Jechoutek. He is survived by them, as well as four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. His wife predeceased him in 2007. They were married over 70 years.

Gilbert was a believer in community service. He joined the Midland Kiwanis Club in 1950 and was still active at the time of his death. He was the club's president in 1964-65 and then went on to serve a term as a Lt. Governor. He became a Life Member in 1985 and a Hixson Fellow in 1996. He recognized the benefits of nature, and the outdoor life. He was a patron of Camp Neyati and the Boy Scouts, and served on the executive committee of the latter for a time. He also maintained a hunting and fishing cottage for 50 years. He was a member of the Memorial Presbyterian Church, and served on the Board of Elders.

A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 2, 2010 at the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Midland. The Rev. Wallace H. Mayton III will officiate. The family will receive friends at the Ware Smith Woolever Funeral Home, 1200 W. Wheeler St., on Thursday, July 1, 2010, from 4 - 5:30, and 7 - 8:30 p.m. The burial, which will be private, will take place in the Midland Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Midland Area Community Foundation to be designated for the Camp Neyati Maintenance Endowment Fund. The Foundation is located at 76 Ashman Circle, Midland, MI 48640.